Introduction

Welcome to the Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Resource Kit!

The Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Resource Kit is a comprehensive technical resource for planning, deploying, and managing virtualization infrastructures based on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008.

Virtualization technology continues to evolve and change the options and speed at which IT departments can react to changing business needs by creating the basis for a powerful, flexible, and adaptable computing environment. Many organizations can draw benefits from the implementation of Hyper-V technology, including potential cost savings that can result from workload virtualization. Server consolidation, test and development infrastructure, business continuity, and branch office environments in enterprise settings are some of the principal targets of Hyper-V technology solutions. However, small and medium businesses also benefit from workload virtualization. Therefore, our purpose for this book was to provide information and tools that could be useful to a broad spectrum of IT professionals and organizations.

Within this Resource Kit, you will find in-depth information and procedures to help you manage all aspects of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Hyper-V Server 2008, including manual and automated installation, security configuration, virtual machine and host-level failover clustering, virtual machine creation and migration processes, monitoring, and backup and recovery techniques. In addition, we have included guidance to assist you with all aspects of a virtualization project from the early vision and scope setting phase through the project pilot phase.

In this book, you will find numerous sidebars contributed by members of the Windows Virtualization product team, Microsoft Consulting Services, Microsoft Support Services, Microsoft Sales, and Microsoft Partners that explain Hyper-V design details, feature highlights, and best practices and optimization tips to assist you in getting the most from a Hyper-V deployment. Finally, the companion media includes sample scripts and job aids that you can use and customize to help you automate various aspects of managing Hyper-V environments.

Microsoft Partner Support

Many of the technical scenarios presented in this book were configured and tested on hardware that was provided by AMD, Compellent Technologies, Sun Microsystems, and the Microsoft Partner Solutions Center. All of these Microsoft partners repeatedly extended the loan of their equipment to accommodate our changes in schedule, and they were all very forthcoming in answering questions and providing support when it was needed.

AMD provided us with enterprise-class hardware to support installation, failover clustering, and configuration test procedures. Donna Becker, Tim Mueting, and John McCrae from AMD worked diligently to provide us with two Dell PowerEdge 2970 servers configured with dual quad-core Opteron 2356 processors, 16 gigabytes (GB) of RAM, a Dell PERC 5/I Integrated RAID controller, and 300 GB of internal storage. The configuration was enhanced with an additional 300 GB of external, iSCSI-based storage.

Compellent Technologies, Sun Microsystems, and the Microsoft Partner Solutions Center dedicated hardware and remote access to enterprise-class servers connected to a Compellent Storage Center storage area network (SAN). John Porterfield, Shane Burton, and Justin Braun of Compellent Technologies provided their time, expertise, and assistance in assembling a hardware configuration that could be used to test additional failover clustering scenarios remotely. The configuration of the Compellent Storage Center SAN was configured with 10 terabytes of Tier-1 storage and 41 terabytes of Tier-3 storage.

John Porterfield of Compellent Technologies coordinated with Trevor McGill of Sun Microsystems to secure several servers for the duration of our tests. In particular, Sun Microsystems provided a Sun X4450 server with four quad-core Intel X7350 processors, 64 GB of RAM, four 146-GB SAS drives, and four Gigabit Ethernet network adapters, and two Sun X4150 servers with two quad-core Intel E5345 processors, 16 GB of RAM, four 146-GB SAS drives, and four Gigabit Ethernet network adapters.

Overview of Book

The four parts of this book cover the following topics:

Part I Getting Started with Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Provides an in-depth look at the features of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, as well as product architecture details.

Part II Understanding Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Provides in-depth information and guidance on installing Window Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 using advanced product features, configuring security, tuning performance, and moving from Virtual Server 2005 R2 to Hyper-V. There is also a comprehensive preview of the new features that are included in Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V.

Part III Managing a Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Infrastructure Describes how to monitor and maintain the health of a Hyper-V infrastructure using tools such as System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Windows Backup Server, System Center Data Protection Manager SP1, and the Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager 2007. This part of the book also contains information to help you develop scripts using the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) application programming interface (API) and Windows PowerShell scripting tool.

Part IV Server Virtualization Project Methodology Defines common server virtualization scenarios, basic concepts and components that compose a VDI solution, and comprehensive guidance on how to manage a virtualization project from the initial vision and scope setting phase to the pilot deployment phase.

Document Conventions

The following conventions are used in this book to highlight special features or usage.

Reader Aids

The following reader aids are used throughout this book to point out useful details.

Reader Aid	Meaning
Note	Underscores the importance of a specific concept or highlights a special case that might not apply to every situation.
Important	Calls attention to essential information that should not be disregarded.
Caution	Warns you that failure to take or avoid a specified action can cause serious problems for users, systems, data integrity, and so on.
On the Companion Media	Calls attention to a related script or job aid on the companion media that helps you perform a task described in the text.
Best Practice	Provides advice that the authors or the Windows Virtual Team have gained from using and deploying the products.
More Info	Contains cross-references to other critical reference material, such as the product documentation, relevant Web sites, other books, or to other sections of this book.

Sidebars

The following sidebars are used throughout this book to provide added insight, tips, and advice concerning different Hyper-V features.

Sidebar	Meaning
Direct from the Source	Contributed by Windows Virtualization product team experts at Microsoft to provide “from-the-source” insight into how Hyper-V works, best practices, and troubleshooting tips.
Direct from the Field	Contributed by field experts from Microsoft Consulting Services, Microsoft Customer Support Services, Microsoft Sales, and Microsoft Partners to provide “from-the-source” insight into how Hyper-V works, best practices, and troubleshooting tips.
How It Works	Provides unique glimpses of technology features and how they work.

Command-Line Examples

The following style conventions are used in documenting command-line examples throughout this book.

Style	Meaning
Bold font	Used to indicate user input (characters that you type exactly as shown).
Italic font	Used to indicate variables for which you need to supply a specific value (for example, file_name can refer to any valid file name).
Monospace font	Used for code samples and command-line output.
%SystemRoot%	Used for environment variables.

Companion Media

The companion media is a valuable addition to this book and includes the following items:

Scripts and Job Aids Sample scripts written in Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) or Windows PowerShell for the administration of different aspects of Hyper-V infrastructures. These scripts can be used either as-is or customized to meet your administrative needs. Also included are job aids referenced in the book text.

Bonus Content and Links to Resources In the Bonus Content folder, you’ll find an electronic version of the Microsoft Press title Understanding Microsoft Virtualization. On the Links to Resources and Tools page, you’ll find numerous links to helpful resources and tools identified by the authors of this resource kit.

eBook An electronic version of the entire Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Resource Kit is also included on the companion media.

Full documentation of the contents and structure of the companion media can be found in the Readme.txt file on the media.

System Requirements

The following are the minimum system requirements to run the companion media provided with this book:

• Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista Service Pack 1

• Windows PowerShell 1.0 or later version (for scripts)

• Microsoft Office 2003 or later version (for job aid worksheets)

• DVD drive

• Internet connection

• Display monitor capable of 1024 × 768 resolution

• Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

• Adobe Reader or PDF reader for viewing the eBook

Using the Scripts

Scripts on the companion media must be run using Cscript.exe or Windows PowerShell as the script host. You can do this in several ways:

• Type cscript script_name.vbs <parameters> at a command prompt. For a list of available parameters, type cscript script_name.vbs /? at a command prompt, or open the script using Notepad and read the comments in the script.

• Configure the default script host on the local computer to Cscript.exe so that you can run scripts by typing script_name.vbs <parameters> at a command prompt. To set the default script host to Cscript.exe, type cscript //h:cscript //nologo //s at a command prompt.

• For Windows PowerShell 1.0, open a PowerShell command window. To do this from the Run box, click Start, click Run, type powershell, and click OK. You can also start Windows PowerShell 1.0 from the Start menu. Just click Start, click All Programs, click Windows PowerShell 1.0, and then click Windows PowerShell.

• For Windows PowerShell 2.0, from the Start menu, click Start, click All Programs, click Windows PowerShell, and then click Windows PowerShell V2. Alternatively, you can click Windows PowerShell V2 ISE to open the Windows PowerShell V2 Integrated Scripting Environment.

To function as intended, most scripts on the companion media must also be run using elevated privileges. To open an admin-level command prompt in Windows Vista, click the Start button and select All Programs. Select Accessories, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run As Administrator. (As an alternative, create a shortcut to an elevated command prompt and save the shortcut on your Quick Launch toolbar.)

Resource Kit Support Policy

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this book and the companion media content. Microsoft Press provides corrections to this book through the Web at the following location:

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/support/search.aspx

If you have comments, questions, or ideas regarding the book or companion media content, or if you have questions that are not answered by querying the Knowledge Base, please send them to Microsoft Press by using either of the following methods:

E-mail:

     rkinput@microsoft.com

Postal Mail:

     Microsoft Press
     Attn: Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Resource Kit editor
     One Microsoft Way
     Redmond, WA 98052-6399

Please note that product support is not offered through the preceding mail addresses. For product support information, please visit the Microsoft Product Support Web site at the following address:

http://support.microsoft.com